August 18, 2015 Market Wrap Up

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August 18, 2015 Market Wrap Up

The S&P 500 finished the day mildly lower; despite a sell-off in China last nite. Interestingly, some commodities like crude oil actually were up. Generally, weakness out of China has a negative effect on commodities. However, the United States Oil Fund (USO) was up nearly 1%.

The VIX was actually up a decent amount given the lackluster day; it was up nearly 6%, closing at 13.71.

On the options front, we saw bullish call buying in Discover Financial Services (DFS). We also saw bearish option activity in Integrated Device Technology Inc (IDTI).

Tomorrow could see better action, we’ve got earnings from Staples, Target, and Lowes to name a few. In addition, the FOMC will be releasing their minutes.

Here’s what else is going on:

Key Economic Data:
19 August 2015- Consumer Price Index 8:30 AM ET, FOMC Minutes 2:00 PM ET
20 August 2015- Jobless Claims 8:30 AM ET, Philly Fed Survey 10 AM ET, Existing Home Sales 10 AM ET

Key Earnings:
19 August 2015- TGT, LOW, SPLS, NTAP
20 August 2015- BRCD, CRM, GPS, HPQ, MSG, INTU, MRVL, ROST, TUES
21 August 2015- DE, FL

August 16, 2015 The Week Ahead

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August 16, 2015 The Week Ahead

The S&P 500 ended Friday’s action on the plus side. However, there was a fair share of volatility, as we saw a 50 point range between highs and lows in the S&P 500 this week.

In respect to risk, market participants will be watching any further developments out of China. Their decision to devalue the Yuan caused the markets here to sell off. This in turn, saw the prices of many commodities tumble.

Despite all this volatility, the VIX is back below 13, closing at 12.83.

We’ve got earnings out of Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Target, Deere, and Hewlett-Packard to name a few. In addition, we’ll be receiving the FOMC minutes.

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